Collide
by NinjaNovelist
Summary: The war against Gaea has been won, but Leo's problems aren't over yet. Amongst all the festivities and happy couples he feels very alone, a feeling he's not unfamiliar with, but he soon finds that he's not the only one left on the outside. A Semi-Songfic.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan's _Percy Jackson_, nor Howie Day's "Collide."**

The sun was nearing its routine climax of its steady descent below the horizon, signifying the end of a day, and this time of an adventure as well. Apollo's chariot- or Maserati, depending on the sun god's mood- began to sink behind the beautiful forest landscape, bathing the recently subdued Earth in a golden hue.

Gaea had been defeated, and the Greeks and Romans were celebrating it in style. In order to appease both allies, they had chosen an island in the Ionian Sea for their party, located exactly halfway between Greece and Italy. In the small abandoned village there, it appeared that the townspeople worshiped both versions of the gods, as there were statues with both Greek and Roman names inscribed, which suited everyone just fine. With the very best food of both cultures mixed with modern music blasting in the stereo, everyone was able to cut loose and have fun, forgetting of the gruesome war they had just gone through. Even a few of the gods joined them.

Greeks and Romans, deities and mortals alike were enjoying themselves, but someone was missing. It had been expected that this person would have been right in the thick of the festivities, more likely than not running about with a lampshade on his head. Instead, Leo Valdez stood apart from the crowd, leaning against a wall as he watched what was going on within the town's square. He was in a pensive mood, and for someone as ADHD as him, this was a rare occurrence.

The source of his current state of mind coincided with the sight that his eyes couldn't tear away from, no matter how he tried. Dancing among a sea of other couples were Frank and Hazel, the former tripping over his feet (and occasionally onto his partner's), and the latter giggling as she attempted to correct his blunders.

Despite the millions of different noises bouncing back and forth around the town, Hazel's adorable laugh cut straight through them all, continuously ringing in Leo's ears as though it were the only sound on the whole island.

The song ended, and Leo found the strength to turn away as a new one took its place. But even as he trudges up a neighboring hill and away from the village, the melody wafted up after him, taunting him of what he couldn't have.

_The Dawn is breaking,_

_A light shining through._

_You're barely waking,_

_And I'm tangled up in you._

Once he crested the hill, Leo was surprised to find that he wasn't alone. Perched on the edge sat a girl quite familiar to him, the purple toga she always wore tattered and splayed with mud from the battle, yet she still held herself with the dignified poise that belonged on a throne, rather than on the ground. Leo reflected on what a heavy weight those praeter robes must be, constantly resting on her shoulders.

Not if there was something Leo the Super Repairman could do about it.

"Good evening, your majesty," he greeted with an exaggerated bow. "Would you mind having the company of a lowly peasant like me?"

Reyna didn't reply, and in fact hardly even acknowledged him. But she didn't reject him either, and as that didn't happen often when Leo tried talking to girls, he was encouraged enough to seat himself beside her. The song continued to play in the background, but now there was a different girl on his mind.

_I'm open, you're closed._

_Where I follow, you'll go._

_I worry I won't see your face_

_Light up again._

There was a rustle of leaves behind them, and the two were joined by a pair of metallic dogs. Argentum settled his head on Reyna's lap possessively as Aurum sniffed out the possible threat to his master. But the golden creature soon melted when Leo began scratching affectionately behind his ears. Like Reyna, Leo often preferred the company of animals. Particularly robotic ones.

"So what brings you out here?" he asked. "Tired out from the die-hard partying you've been doing?"

Accepting the fact that Leo wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, Reyna finally gave a response. "I just needed some space to think."

During their entire time together, the girl's eyes had remained fixed on one spot. Leo followed her gaze and came upon Jason and Piper, cuddling on the outskirts of the village.

Leo had to swallow back the bitter taste that suddenly rose to his mouth. His two best friends together had always been a sore spot for him. It had been the first of many instances when he had been shut out of people's lives, left on the outside looking in.

When he glanced at Reyna, her expression remained perfectly composed, as always, but she had an aged look that didn't belong on a sixteen-year-old's face. Leo just barely caught a glint of sorrow in the eye's of the fearless leader. Sorrow... and loneliness.

Now that was something he could relate to.

_Even the best fall down sometimes..._

"You might as well say what's wrong now," Leo said. "Because either way I'll figure it out eventually."

For the first time Reyna spared him a glance, the tiniest inkling of amusement leaking onto her face. "And how are you so certain that there's even something the matter in the first place?"

"I can take apart any mechanical device you throw at me and reassemble it again in minutes," he boasted, leaning back to lie on the ground with his hands behind his head. "And I can do the same to you."

"In that case..." Reyna folded her arms and sank backwards to match Leo's pose. "May fortune be with you, son of Vulcan."

Leo rubbed his hand together greedily. "Well for starters, you always hide your emotions because you're the praeter and people look up to you. You can't ever show if you're scared or upset, because the sheep follow the shepherd. Normally this would be a pretty difficult feat, but surviving an attack from pirates on Circe's island certainly helps make one courageous, especially at so young an age."

Reyna would have looked shocked if she wasn't so determined not to give away any hints to Leo's calculating eye. "How did you..."

"Funny thing about being best friends with Jason," Leo commented. "Praeters always have the juiciest gossip."

Reyna rolled her eyes and returned to staring at the sky. "And I suppose you learned that over doing each other's nails?"

"Hey," Leo defended, pointing to his elfish face. "Looks this good don't come naturally, you know."

Reyna only sighed. "Do go on."

"Go on with wha- oh, right!" Leo quickly switched his easily sidetracked mind back to the previous conversation. "Now, ever since your sister left you, you've always had trust issues. You don't make friends easily, but you still get lonely. Contrary to popular belief, you are a human being, and we all need some love and attention now and then. And who better to get that from than your fellow praeter, the impossibly perfect Jason Grace?"

Reyna stiffened slightly, but Leo took no notice. "But then he disappears, getting a new girlfriend in the process. The problem is, the only person you're able to truly connect with is your colleague, what with leading the camp together and getting quite a bit of one-on-one interaction. So when Percy Jackson comes along, you jump on the chance to get what you should've had with Jason. But Percy denies you, too, as he's already got it going on with Miss Architect. So here you are, on the top of your game, King- sorry, _Queen_- of the Hill, and no one to share it with."

He turned to face Reyna in triumph, who stared back with an unreadable expression. But just when he thought he could see a tiny crack of emotion breach her barricade, she got up and began walking away.

"Reyna, wait!" Leo jumped up and started after her, which only causes her to quicken her pace in an attempt to hide the tears stinging at her eyes, threatening to break free. The song continued to play in the background like the soundtrack of a movie.

_I'm quiet, you know._

_You make a first impression._

_I've found I'm scared to know_

_I'm always on your mind._

"I'm sorry!" Leo called out. "I was being an idiot."

As usual.

Reyna found her steps becoming fewer and farther between, eventually coming to a complete halt. Looking up into the darkening heavens, she silently prayed to the constellations that had yet to appear to grant her patience with this infuriating boy.

_Even the best fall down sometimes._

_Even the stars refuse to shine..._

After furiously wiping away her tears, she turned to face Leo again with an expression even more hardened than before.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" she asked, venom laced in her words. "But you aren't too difficult to read either, Leo Valdez."

She began walking towards him at a tortuously slow pace that made it even more frightening. "You blame yourself for everything that goes wrong in your life: your mother's death- yes, I've caught a few rumors here and there as well- you being possessed to fire at _my_ camp, things that were really beyond your control. You think you're a failure, and you try to cover up your mistakes with a smile and a joke, because you believe that if you're at least entertaining then people will have a reason to let you stick around.

"But you still feel left out. Your friends are all coupling up with each other, while you can't even make it past your first pick-up line with a girl. You enjoy yourself most when you're alone with your tools, because then you don't have to put on a show to impress people, pretending that everything's fine when it really isn't. And it's still not enough."

By now, Reyna had reached Leo, standing so close to him that if she had taken one more step, their foreheads would've been touching.

_Don't stop here._

"You can see through my mask, but only because you're wearing one, too," she declared. "Admit it. You're just as lonely as I am."

_I've lost my place._

Leo admitted it alright, and a lot more besides. Because at that moment he let his stupid, impulsive side take the wheel as he grabbed Reyna by the shoulders and kissed her.

_I'm close behind._

Reyna had certainly been right about him always blaming himself, because just then Leo was cursing each time he had pitied himself for his situation. He may have been the spare part, the seventh wheel, but at least he was part of the team. She didn't even have that.

But from here on out, that was going to change.

At last Leo pulled away and studied the praeter's face, the only hints of emotion on it being her slightly widened eyes and barely reddened cheeks. But this was Reyna he was dealing with, so Leo deduced that he had greatly shocked her. Then again, she also wasn't running away, which gave him enough courage to offer her his hand.

"Then let's be lonely together."

That was when he finally achieved the goal of this whole endeavor. He got Reyna to smile.

She accepted the hand, and the two settled themselves on the ground to look up into the night sky just as the stars began twinkling into sight. Gone were the thoughts of either on what they had lost, but only on what they had found.

_Even the best fall down sometimes._

_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme._

_Out of the doubt that fills your mind,_

_You finally find you and I collide._


End file.
